On Saturday, U.S. Representative Rahm Emanuel announced he had helped to secure $47,997,750 million for key Chicago projects, including education, transportation and environmental programs. All funding provisions are included in the 2005 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which the House passed Saturday, Nov. 20.
Working with other members of the Illinois delegation, Emanuel was able to secure three key projects in the Labor, HHS and Education portion of the bill. Swedish Covenant Hospital is set to receive $1 million for the immediate renovation of its emergency department to manage volume increases and improve disaster preparedness. Swedish Covenant is a central player in the City of Chicago's disaster response team, as evidenced by its participation in the Chicago disaster drill last year. The expansion of its emergency department to handle a chemical or biological emergency in Chicago is essential to the City's security. Recent closures of two local hospitals have caused significant volume increases for the Swedish Covenant Emergency Department and have increased the importance of the department as the first line of defense on the North Side of Chicago in the case of bioterrorism disaster.
Chicago Public Schools After School Programs will receive $525,000 ($300,000 under Commerce-Justice-State and $225,000 under Labor-HHS) to support three initiatives to provide students with safe, productive activities in the after school hours. The After School Counts program provides academic support to children in kindergarten through eighth grade outside of the regular school day. After School Enrichment programs provide additional activities such as art, music, drama and recreation. Community Schools offer programs for students and families, including academic enrichment, adult education and English as a Second Language classes, and health services.
The Chicago Academy/Academy for Urban School Leadership will receive $800,000 to aid the Academy in its expansion into a high school. As one of the most innovative teacher training programs in the country, the Academy offers resident teachers a year-long teacher training program in combination with a Master's degree in education. In return, residents commit to teaching in underserved Chicago schools for five additional years. With the help of this funding, next year there will be a resident teacher program in the high school for the first time. Sen. Dick Durbin, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, helped secure this funding. In addition, Emanuel secured $72,750 for the construction of a high school gymnasium (under VA/HUD).
"Chicago's families and our neighborhoods are stronger because of these projects," Emanuel said." These critical investments in education, health care, the environment and our transportation infrastructure will pay dividends into the future."
Also, provisions similar to those in Emanuel's flu vaccine legislation (H.R. 3758, The Flu Protection Act) will go into effect as a result of nearly $100 million included in the Labor, HHS, and Education bill for the expansion and improvement of vaccine production technology and capacity, and if necessary, the purchase of influenza vaccine.
Emanuel helped secure the following projects:
Energy & Water Development:
DePaul University--$1 million for biological sciences infrastructure upgrades. This money would help DePaul build additional state-of-the-art science labs and develop interdisciplinary science curricula for high level scientific and technological literacy, as well as provide increased opportunities to serve under-represented groups in the fields of science and mathematics.
Transportation and Treasury:
Chicago Transit Authority--$40 million for Rehabilitation of Brown Line. The Brown Line rehabilitation is a top priority of the CTA, and was authorized in the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21).
City of Chicago--$1.25 million for Milwaukee Avenue Reconstruction. Running from the heart of Chicago's downtown to the Northwestern Suburbs, Milwaukee Ave. is one of the City's most important streets. Reflecting the diverse nature of the City, Milwaukee Ave. runs through many different ethnic communities. Further, many businesses from small shops to large scale industry can be found along the Milwaukee Ave. corridor. Well traveled, the street is beginning to look its age. As part of the Chicago Capital Improvement Program, CDOT is planning to rebuild a 12-mile section of Milwaukee Ave., from Grand Ave. to Gale St. In addition to a typical resurfacing, the City hopes to add new sidewalks, lighting, and landscaped elements. This funding will begin the initial stages of the project.
VA/HUD:
City of Chicago--$150,000 for Beach Contamination Identification/Elimination Study. The funding will allow the City of Chicago to conduct a study that will help identify sources of contamination of Lake Michigan beaches and propose recommendations to address those sources.
City of Chicago--$500,000 for Pulaski Road at Irving Park Road Intersection Improvement. Because of its proximity to an expressway and the Chicago Transit Authority's Blue Line, the intersection of Pulaski Road and Irving Park Road is extremely congested and poorly marked. This project would provide for improved sight lines and improved signage, thereby increasing safety and traffic flow. |
